Mindfulness of Soul

A Call for Reclamation of Meaning in Clinical Practice 

Katherine Gotis

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe the application of a mindfulness-based approach within a professional counseling context. Articulated are the specific ways mindfulness-based methods can be utilized to treat the suffering of individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, chronic pain, trauma, addiction, and grief, as well as the indications and development necessary for more spiritual and soul-oriented mindfulness approaches. The impact of Western culture on mental health is noted as a pathological agent, which causes and exacerbates pre-existing psychological dis-ease. Also explored is the neuroscientific research that supplies evidence for utilizing mindfulness in the clinical setting. The author outlines neuroplasticity, polyvagal theory, and the ways in which a counselor’s therapeutic presence supports the client, strengthens the therapeutic alliance and leads to positive client outcomes. Peppered throughout are the author’s personal soul reflections from their own mindful and soulful journey, and finally in conclusion, the positive impact of mindfulness meditation on the individual counselor as well as the field of professional counseling.

Keywords:  Mindfulness-based approach, professional counseling, neuroscience

Mindfulness of Soul: A Call for Reclamation of Meaning in Clinical Practice

Mindfulness is the practice of settling one’s attention into the present moment in an open, curious, non-judgmental, and accepting way  (Sperry, 2108). Plucked from Buddhism and adapted for Western secular sensibilities, mindfulness is an evidence-based and popular therapeutic intervention for a great number of psychological, emotional, and existential maladies which cause individuals to seek guidance from a professional counselor (2018).

Suffering is a universal human experience, and Buddhist meditation and Western psychological traditions have in common the goal of decreasing human suffering by addressing the oftentimes distorted thoughts and perceptions of an individual which result in emotional and psychological suffering. There also exists within the Buddhist framework, a system of diagnosing and treating ailments which is similar to the western model in components, but much different in how the mind and its contents are perceived and worked with (Germer, Siegel, & Fulton, 2016).

Mindfulness-based practices can be successfully used with individuals who experience suffering in the forms of anxiety, depression, chronic pain, trauma, addiction, and grief (Germer, et. al., 2016). While mindfulness is supported by clinical research, not all mindfulness-based strategies are appropriate for all clients (Sperry, 2018). To utilize mindfulness responsibly, a clinician must educate themselves about their client’s history, present state of being, diagnosis, and the safety, efficacy, and appropriateness of the mindfulness-based intervention they are using with their client (2018).  Counselors who use mindfulness with their clients should have already established within themselves the embodiment of the mindfulness practices  share (Germer, et. al., 2016).

                   Mindfulness & Soulfulness

To accompany and guide the healing of the soul is the etymological meaning at the root of the word psychotherapy (Hammer, 2019). Psyche means soul and therapy is to heal and minister to (2019). Unfortunately, psychology and most of its offspring have labeled the mind as superior and cast the soul into the shadow, leaving it no choice but to arise as uncomfortable clinical symptoms known as depression and anxiety.

Attention to topics such as spirituality and soul have been sanctioned to the domain of edge-walkers, outsiders, and the fringe. While there exists no tool to empirically measure that which animates the body and calls the individual to explore life’s deeper and more profound meanings, sometimes in the form of psychotherapy, the author suggests then too, there is no empirical way to validate the existence of the mind.

The exploration of the brain and its relationship to physiology and behavior are interesting anecdotes to prove that which has been arbitrarily labeled “the mind,” but this information doesn’t disprove the reality of the soul. No one questions whether or not love exists, which is thought to be a function of the soul, but there is no empirical evidence the author knows of which proves love’s existence. 

           Mindfulness & Clinical Applications

Sati is a Pali word which means remembering, attention, and awareness (Germer, et. al., 2016). The English conveyance of sati is mindfulness, which points to the root teachings of Buddhism, and of course The Buddha himself (2016).

The afflictions of depression, anxiety, attention-deficit disorders, addictions, and other mood and cognition defilements are quite common to the point of being viral in the United States, and the author believes much of what individuals experience and is labeled as mental illness, is a healthy and normal response to a cultural paradigm which values manic speed, superficial accumulation of wealth, production, celebrity, and individual success over the human soul talents of presence, relationship, connection, compassion, intuition, generosity, & empathy. 

While not all clinical situations are a direct response to the collective cultural pathology, all are most certainly exacerbated by it, as the pressure, speed, and fears around climate change, economic collapse, pandemics, and incompetent and reality denying politicians threaten to strip citizens of what remains of their psychological and emotional balance. Mindfulness encourages presence, self-compassion, and for individuals to move towards suffering as opposed to moving away from it, all of which are antithetical to the norm.

Anxiety & Depression

            Mindfulness can foster self-acceptance, affect regulation, and the capacity to feel pleasant emotions, all of which are protective against the psychological suffering that exacerbates depression (Germer, et. al., 2016).  Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are helpful mindfulness-based approaches for individuals with depression, and MBCT has been shown to prevent relapse, reduce enduring symptoms, and increase quality of life at a rate shown to be as or more effective than antidepressant medication (2016).

Individuals who experience suffering which meets the clinical criteria to be labelled anxiety and depression have been practicing suffering long enough to have created strong habits of thinking and behaving (Germer, et al., 2016). In order to create new habits, a client benefits greatly from practicing mindfulness both formally and informally in ways that are appropriate for their disposition, and always with an attitude of self-compassion (2016).

Trauma & Addiction

Trauma can be defined as an event an individual either experiences or witnesses that they feel to be intolerable and unbearable and which leaves a lasting impression which manifest as symptoms long after the event has passed (Van der kolk, 2014). Some of these symptoms may be felt as overwhelming physical sensations which the person experiences as dangerous and impossible to feel, not realizing that by moving away from the uncomfortable sensations, they are reinforcing their susceptibility to become overwhelmed by them (2014).

The pain paradox refers to the natural human tendency to move away from painful stimuli by engaging in pain-relieving behaviors such as substance use and abuse, distraction, projection, suppression, or denial of distressing psychological, physical, or emotional content (Germer, et al., 2016). The paradox is that by engaging in avoidance, which is the hallmark symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), individuals not only create more of what they are trying to escape, but the upsetting symptoms are also more likely to become chronic and intrusive syndromes (2016).

People who are able to experience distressing material directly are more likely to feel less of it in the future (Germer, et al., 2016). Individuals who have been deeply and neurophysiologically impacted by traumatic events can benefit from mindfulness, the practice of moving closer to what has been avoided, by working with a skilled trauma-informed counselor with whom they have a strong therapeutic alliance (2016).

Children

            Research shows that the lives of children and adolescents are becoming more and more stressful in response to the impact of growing up in a culture that values money, status, and test scores above connection, happiness, and a sense of well-being (Saltzman, 2014). A striking number of young people are being diagnosed with attention, anxiety, and depressive disorders, as well as cutting, obesity, addiction, and other self-harming behaviors (2014).

            Because there is abundant research which states that long-term stress negatively impacts working memory via the executive functions of the brain, it follows that moral and social behavior, emotional and social intelligence, and social development are likely adversely affected as well (Saltzman, 2014). Teaching mindfulness to young individuals who cultivate mindful habits over time can be protective agents against some of the impacts of long-term stress (2014).

Children’s minds are naturally open, curious, and receptive to the world around them, which also describes the beginner’s mind, which is the mind of one who is mindful (Germer, et al., 2016).  A counselor teaching mindfulness to children should be especially aware of the role acceptance plays in their approach with children, because children are deeply impacted by what they perceive as acceptance or disapproval (2016). Much of what is being conveyed to children is relayed non-verbally and the quality and depth of a counselor’s own mindfulness practice and presence may be highlighted by the child’s withdrawal and inappropriate behaviors (2016).

                             

Grief & Mindfulness

“Grief is natural; to grieve the loss of what we love is as natural as peeing, eating, singing, dreaming, running, or looking under rocks for bugs to feed your pet frog."

                                                       Martin Prechtel

Grief is a natural response of living beings to the loss of that which they love. Grief is not depression, nor is grief a problem to be solved, or a disease to be medicated. However, grief that is long-lasting and unresolved is known to be a profound psychosocial stressor that can bring about a variety of psychological and physical ailments (Huang, Hsu, Hsu,Tsai, Huang, Chao, Hwang, & Wu., 2019). While there has been much research supporting the benefits of mindfulness-based therapies for disorders like depression and anxiety, which impact mood, cognition, and emotional regulation, there remains a dearth of research on how mindfulness practices might also benefit individuals experiencing complicated grief (2019).

A recent study was done with 23 bereaved individuals, using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), a self-reporting questionnaire, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (2019). Findings from fMRI studies showed these individuals had significant improvement in executive control functioning after 8-week MBCT training compared to executive functioning recorded prior to the training (2019). These findings indicate improved emotional regulation caused by increased cognitive functioning in the absence of emotional interference (2019). The self-questionnaire supported the participant’s fMRI interpretations, suggesting that MBCT is a valid and helpful method to employ with bereaved individuals (2019).

                        Therapeutic Presence

Research has shown that successful therapeutic outcomes have less to do with the specific methods a counselor uses, but more with the relationship between the client and the counselor (Geller & Porges, 2014). While the importance of a strong therapeutic relationship is a well-established indicator of positive clinical outcomes, the causes of such a bond and why this therapeutic alliance is such a powerful catalyst for growth and change is less discussed in professional mental health literature (2014).

Data suggest clients need to experience feelings of safety and well-being when they are with a counselor for vulnerability to arise which allows for the sharing of more difficult psychological and emotional material, leading to insight, growth, and healing (Geller & Porges, 2014). It is posited that the therapeutic relationship which nurtures and supports these feelings of security and well-being is related to the quality of the counselor’s presence (Geller & Porges, 2014).

The development and depth of a therapist’s somatic awareness, or felt sense, impacts the therapeutic domains of empathy, congruence, clinical intuition, as well as therapeutic presence (Peace & Smith-Adcock, 2018). The meaning a counselor makes of their holistic felt-sensing will guide their clinical decisions and it is from this awareness that the quality of the counselor’s therapeutic presence emerges (2018). The false-dichotomy of the body and mind dissolve in the immediacy of the here and now embodied by the counselor’s open, non-judgmental, and grounded field of awareness from which they relate with the client (2018).

                 Neuroscience & Mindfulness

Science is only recently picking up what the great wisdom traditions have been laying down for thousands of years. For those of us who have been fortunate enough to have picked up and diligently applied over decades some of these ancient teachings and practices, no proof outside of our own direct experience was needed. It is good news however, that in a culture which insists upon empirical evidence for the existence of most all things, there is now scientific validation for what has been experienced and reported by so many modern yogis, meditators, mystics, and contemplatives such as this writer.

Both functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) & (MRI), respectively, have shown how meditation changes the brain in ways that support anecdotal claims of meditation’s ability to increase feelings of wellbeing, focus, compassion, and to decrease anxiety, distraction, and disconnection (Germer, et. al., 2016).

Neuroplasticity

            Neuroplasticity describes the brain’s ability to change in response to learning something new (Germer, et.al., 2016). The amygdala, also known as the alarm center in the brain, which warns of danger whether real or imagined, has been shown to decrease in individuals who began a mindfulness practice (2016). Many other neuroplastic changes have been revealed, such as increased activation of the insula, which connotes interoception, the ability to feel internal sensations, as well as changes which bring about increased focus and feelings of compassion (2016).

Polyvagal Theory

The relationship between neurophysiology, behavior, therapeutic presence and client response are elegantly described by Polyvagal Theory (PVT) (Sullivan, Erb, Schmalzl, Moonaz, Noggle Taylor, & Porges, 2018). PVT explains the brain and body’s bidirectional communication, which highlight the power of integrative top-down and bottom-up processing in the clinical setting (2018). PVT does this by accurately weaving together the phylogenetic development of the autonomic nervous system with social behaviors that foster connection and the expression and regulation of emotions and behaviors (Sullivan, et al., 2018).

Neuroception is a concept from polyvagal theory (PVT) which explains the bottom-up, or non-verbal and sometimes unconscious processes by which a person senses and responds to what is perceived as danger (Sullivan, et al., 2018). If a counselor’s way of being communicates presence, unconditional acceptance, kindness, and openness , the client’s neuroception will communicate this to them facilitating feelings of safety (2018). Neuroception will also tell a client if the counselor isn’t congruent in speech and being, and the outcome will likely be unfavorable for alliance building (2018).

                                 Conclusion

Pain is an inevitable part of the human experience and suffering is the mind’s interpretation of the pain. While pain cannot be avoided, suffering may be optional. The practice of meditation as taught by Gautama Buddha, has long been known to alleviate human suffering. Mindfulness, the secular practice of this ancient technology, is now known to be an evidence-based intervention for a variety of human ailments. While the language and technical mechanics exist to describe some of the human mystery of the soul, this author posits that it is wholly insufficient to accurately articulate, let alone contain what seems to be one of the grandest plays of creation concentrating and dancing itself into matter as human beings.

As a student and practitioner of Zen, yoga, and other contemplative practices, the author can attest to the value mindfulness brings to the experience of being alive as well as moving through the more difficult emotional and psychological terrains. As a professional counselor, knowing when and how to safely and appropriately employ these powerful technologies with clients is compulsory, as is the embodiment of that which the counselor attempts to share.  

References

Geller, S.M. & Porges, S.W. (2014). Therapeutic presence: Neurophysiological mechanisms mediating feeling safe in therapeutic relationships. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 178-192.

Germer, C., Siegel, R., & Fulton, P. (2016). Mindfulness and psychotherapy (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.  

Hammer, D. (2019). Cultivating soulfulness in psychotherapy. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 6(2), 139-143.

Huang, F.Y., Hsu, A., Hsu, L. Tsai, J. Huang, C., Chao, Y., Hwang, T., & Wu, C. C. (2019). Mindfulness improves emotion regulation and executive control on bereaved individuals: An fmri study. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12(541), 1-10.

Peace, P. & Ad-Cock, S. (2018). A Conceptual Framework for Felt-Sense Awareness in Counselor Preparation. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 57, 208-222.

Saltzman, A. (2014). A still quiet place: A mindfulness program for teaching children & adolescents to ease stress & difficult emotions. Berkeley, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Sperry, L. (2018). Mindfulness, soulfulness, and spiritual development in spiritually oriented psychotherapy. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 5(4), 291-295.

Sullivan M.,B,. Erb M., Schmalzl L, Moonaz S., Noggle Taylor J & Porges S.W. (2018) Yoga therapy and polyvagal theory: The convergence of traditional wisdom and contemporary neuroscience for self-regulation and resilience. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience,67(12), 1-15.

Van der kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY: Penguin Books.